Welcome to the December 2013 Edition of Cyber News,
an ad free,
spam free online magazine emanating from Stanley's
Studio in Phoenix, Arizona. In Cyber News we'll try to pass along
some useful tips and information about your computer, the Internet,
computer products, digital photography, other related topics, and some
stuff that's not related at all.

Can't believe it's the end of the year
already! Of course I think the older you get the faster time
flies by. For me it was a good year and hope it was for you
too. A lot of people think the number 13 is bad luck, so for
the things that weren't good this year I'd say 2014 sounds pretty
good! One thing that was not good was all the fighting and
bickering in Congress. Regardless of one's political affiliation,
everyone is sick of it! I hope they will shape up their act in the
new year, if not we'll shape it up for them in the November election.

This is the month that Christians
celebrate Christmas. It's a special time to celebrate the
birth of Jesus and a special time to celebrate his love and the love of family and
friends. May this holiday season be special for you no matter what
your faith!

Don't regret getting older, it's a privilege
denied to many! Live your life and forget about your age.

As major airlines and the Federal
Aviation Administration relax their rules on using electronic
devices during takeoff and landing, one important question lingers: What
will become of Airplane mode? Airplane mode is more than just a
necessity at 30,000 feet -- it's become a tool for severing ourselves
from the demands of constant connectiveness. And with some enhancements,
Airplane mode could help us all put some much needed boundaries between
our online and offline lives, our work and personal time. The
story from CNN
.

I sure wouldn't mind if people sitting
around me were reading their kindle or quietly playing a game on
their phone or tablet, but if several people were chatting on their
phones that might not be the peace and quite that I look for on a
flight. Here's
an article that agrees
with this.

Remember, a fast way to find something
in a previous edition of Cyber News is to use the keyword search
feature at the bottom of this page. You can also read an entire
previous edition posted in the last year, also at the bottom of this
page.

Can you refrain from texting while
driving? Or how about in church, during a meal at home or in a
restaurant? It's a fact that more people today are killed, or severely
injured, by driving while intexticated than while intoxicated! 41
States have "No texting while driving" laws but that doesn't
seem to stop most people. No text is worth a funeral!
Are you one of those souls that your cell phone is chained to your hand
24/7? If so, it is highly suggested by psychologists that you
spend more time in the real world than in the cyber world. When
you spend more time on your phone than conversing with friends, you're
telling them that whoever you're texting is more important than who
you're with. Technology is wonderful, but we must not become a
society of zombies!

Computer Tip: Occasionally a
certain application you're using will freeze. The quick fix is to
right click on the taskbar and choose "Start Task
Manager." By clicking the "Applications" tab you
will find a list of all currently running programs. In the
"Status" column you'll see the guilty culprit as it will say
"Not Responding." Simply highlight it and click on the
"End Task" button. That will close the app that stopped
working and you're back in business.

Remember if you have valued data on
your computer, you risk losing it all if your hard drive
fails. Don't be sorry. Back up your data files (music,
documents, photos, etc) to an external hard drive or flash drive. Should
you back up to the cloud? My answer is no. With an external
hard drive you have total control and can have access to your files immediately.
Backing up to the cloud is a guessing game. Where are the servers
located? What kind of encryption are they using? How trusted are
the employees? Are you sure that you can retrieve your files if
needed? What if the company goes broke?

I recently had a customer whose
computer crashed and called me to install a new Windows 8
machine. The first question I asked was "Is your stuff backed
up" and the answer was yes. Setting up and configuring
everything went smoothly until I was informed that all their files were
backed up to Carbonite. You've probably heard of them as they do a
lot of TV advertising. I went to their website but it wasn't clear how
to retrieve their files, so I called them on the phone. I was
informed to download a program which would download their files. After
accomplishing this the process started, informing us it would take 6
hours, but shortly it stopped and crashed the new computer. After
cleaning things up I tried again only to have it fail again. At
this point I informed the customer that they would have to take the
issue to Carbonite, and that's not the way I wanted to leave the
house! Case in point: Backing up data to a supposedly
trustworthy company did not work. Their fee is $60 a year and for
that amount you can purchase a 500 gigabyte external hard drive and have
your back up data sitting right next to you!

Yahoo recently confirmed that top
broadcaster Katie Couric is leaving ABC News to join the Silicon Valley
tech company as its global anchor. "Katie's depth of
experience, her intellectual curiosity, and her charisma make her the
perfect choice to anchor Yahoo News and the whole Yahoo Network said
Marissa Mayer, Yahoo's CEO. The
story from USA Today.

Last month wemourned again on the 50th anniversary
of the assassination of JFK. It
was one of the most tragic events in America's history. Television
news in 1963 was in its infancy but if that event would have happened
today, think how the news would have been disseminated through social
media! Another story from USA
Today.

Will the future bring us a society
without books? Well, this may be the start.San
Antonio's BiblioTech, believed to be the first public bookless library
in the US, offers computers, Internet access, e-readers, and technology
classes. The
story from CNET.

It's nice to know what the weather is
doing without waiting for the news, especially during dangerous
conditions. A great way to know exactly what that thunderstorm or
snow storm is doing is with live radar. Find out the depth of the
storm and which way it's moving. You can do that with your
computer and on your phone's browser. Click
here to see what's going on right now. Click on your
area for a more detailed view and even put the map in motion by clicking
on the "Play Animation" button.

I'm sure you have witnessed a child's
temper tantrum at Wal-Mart, the grocery store or many other
places. You stand there witnessing this ugly scene and wonder why
parents have lost control of their children. But what if the
tables were turned? What do you suppose would be the reaction of
the kids
watching this!

Photo
Tip of the Month: Black and white photos can be very pleasing. Try your hand at
this the next time you take a
picture. You can choose to set your camera and some phones for this
setting, but it's probably better to take your photo in color then
change it in your photo editor or in a phone app. There are
endless ways to convert from color to B&W including third party filters
such as those from Topaz Labs. Experiment and have fun with black and
white photography!

Check out my personal Photo Site.You'll see over
1,700 pictures in 41 galleries taken from around the world. New photos were
added last month to several galleries and you might enjoy viewing the photos
this month in the "Odds
n Ends" Gallery.

If you would like to be notified each month when a new edition of Cyber News is posted, you
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Remember you can always read previous editions of Cyber
News by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page. You
can also search previous editions of Cyber News by typing in a key word
or words into the
search box.

"Live with Passion, in a Constant State of Joy, and with an
Attitude of Gratitude!"

If
you think a friend or family member would enjoy Cyber News, don't
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Address it, and in the body of the message right click and choose paste.
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course you can do that with any web site.

Secrets to Safe Computing: Read each point below and follow the advice as outlined.
Just a few minutes of work
each month will go a long way in keeping your computer running smoothly!

The contents of Cyber News may be copied, reproduced, or freely
distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author
as long as the author's name and contact information are included.
Cyber News is a free service of Stanley Computing and is published each
month, originating from Stanley's Studio in Phoenix,
Arizona.

Disclaimer: The
information presented in Cyber News is researched and is believed to be
accurate. We cannot guarantee that all the information will work on your
particular combination of hardware, software and user skills. All
information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.
Neither Stanley Computing nor its contributors are responsible for any loss,
injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use
any information presented on this web site. Stanley Computing has not
been compensated in any way for any product endorsement.